Sir, – At what age do boys outgrow name-calling? I, a pedestrian, was yesterday called, with apologies to your readers, a “f***ing retard” twice by a driver, having crossed the road in front of him at a pedestrian crossing with a green light in my favour. Unused to be being roared at and abused in my own family and social circles, I was left shaken and distraught by the encounter. While I can put aside the threatening and paternalistic nature of the encounter, I cannot overlook the utterly unacceptable words shouted and the casualness with which they were used by a man who from all outward appearances should have known better.
While casual swearing is now commonplace and not particularly shocking in and of itself, perhaps we need to look carefully at the words in use. Over the years a growing list of slurs of all kinds have been relegated to the scrapheap of language. We should ensure they stay there. – Yours, etc,
SINÉAD BARRY,
Leopardstown,
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Dublin 18.
